2000
#1,105
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 28,970
First available Census row
Per 100,000 10.74
Uncommon Last name
Hickey
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic Ó hÍcidhe, meaning "descendant of Ícidhe" (the healer).
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 31,704 Americans carry the last name Hickey. That puts it at #1,253 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 9.25 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 10,811 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hickey surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Hickey with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
32K
1 in 10,811
Census rank
#1,253
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
9.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
28K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 27,647 bearers of the surname Hickey in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 9.25 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1253rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hickey, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hickey
The surname Hickey is an anglicized form of the Irish Gaelic name Ó hIcí, which originated in County Cork, Ireland. This name derives from the word "iceach" meaning "hospitable" or "generous." The name first appeared in historical records in the 12th century.
In ancient Irish manuscripts, such as the Annals of Inisfallen, the name is spelled Ó hIcí or Ó hIcidh. The earliest recorded bearer of this surname was Donnchadh Ó hIcí, who lived in County Cork in the 13th century.
The Hickey surname is closely associated with the Duhallow region of County Cork, where it was particularly prominent among the ruling families. The name is also found in other parts of Ireland, including County Kerry and County Limerick.
One notable bearer of the Hickey name was Tadhg Ó hIcí, a 15th-century Irish poet and historian from County Cork. His works provide valuable insights into the culture and history of medieval Ireland.
In the 16th century, the Hickey surname appeared in the Fiants of the Tudor Monarchs, a collection of official records from the reigns of Henry VIII, Edward VI, and Mary I. This indicates that the name was well-established in Ireland during this period.
During the 17th century, the Hickey family played a significant role in the Irish Confederate Wars and the Williamite War in Ireland. John Hickey, a colonel in the Jacobite army, was renowned for his bravery and military leadership.
In more recent history, notable individuals with the Hickey surname include Thomas Hickey (1741-1776), a member of the Continental Army who was executed for mutiny and sedition during the American Revolutionary War, and Joseph Hickey (1830-1907), an Irish-American politician who served as the 33rd Mayor of Chicago from 1900 to 1904.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hickey
Among Census respondents with the surname Hickey, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Hickey bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Hickey surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.6% · 24,763
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 955
- Two or more races3.1% · 847
- Black or African American2.8% · 774
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 227
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 81
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hickey
Hickey appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#1,206
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 29,350
+380 bearers (+1.3%)
Per 100,000 9.95
Rank movement Down 101 places
2020
#1,253
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 27,647
-1,703 bearers (-5.8%)
Per 100,000 9.25
Rank movement Down 47 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,105 | 28,970 | 10.74 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,206 | 29,350 | 9.95 | +380 bearers (+1.3%) | Down 101 places |
| 2020 | #1,253 | 27,647 | 9.25 | -1,703 bearers (-5.8%) | Down 47 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Hickey surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #1,206 | #1,253 | -3.9% |
| Count | 29,350 | 27,647 | -5.8% |
| Per 100K | 9.95 | 9.25 | -7.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hickey bearers went from 29,350 to 27,647 (-5.8% change). The surname moved down 47 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,206 to #1,253.
FAQ
Hickey surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hickey?
Name Census estimates that about 31,704 living Americans carry the surname Hickey. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 10,811 residents.
How common is Hickey?
Hickey ranks #1,253 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 9.25 per 100,000 residents, which is about 9 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 27,647 people with the surname Hickey. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (31,704), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 9.25 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 9.25 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 9 of them to have the surname Hickey.
Has Hickey become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hickey went from 29,350 recorded bearers to 27,647. That is a decrease of 1,703 (-5.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,206 to #1,253.
What does the Census say about the background of Hickey?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hickey, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (3.1%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Hickey in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.6% (24,763 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hickey appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.6%), Hispanic (3.5%), Two or More Races (3.1%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Hickey (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Hickey mean?
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic Ó hÍcidhe, meaning "descendant of Ícidhe" (the healer). The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Hickey (9.25 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How common is the surname Hickey?
Find out how many people have the last name Hickey on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.